Today in History, July 16: Our Nation's Capital, the Atomic Bomb, and J.D. Salinger

1769—One of the first missions in California, Mission San Diego de Alcala, is founded. Today, the mission is part of the Catholic Diocese of San Diego.

1790—Named after the first president, Congress makes Washington the capital of the United States of America.

1945—The atomic bomb is tested at Alamogordo Air Base in New Mexico. The resulting mushroom cloud is 41,000 feet high.

1951—J.D. Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye, which took him 10 years to write, is published.

1999—John F. Kennedy Jr. dies when the plane he is flying crashes into the Atlantic Ocean. His wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, also die in the crash.